EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/20/2024 9:30 AM
My Worship Time Focus: PT-2
“General Reassurance”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: 1 John 2:12
Message of the verse: “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven and for His name’s sake.”
I want to begin by writing about the fact that there
are only two spiritual families that exist from God’s perspective, and His
perspective is the only one that counts.
First there are children of God and children of Satan (cf. 8:39-44). Now God’s children do not love Satan’s family
or give their allegiance to the world he controls (cf. 1 John 2:15): “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If
anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” Instead, they grow (though not all at the
same rate or with equal consistency) in their love for the Lord, a love that
will manifest itself in heartfelt obedience and service as seen in John 14:15 “"If
you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
John MacArthur writes “The New Testament plainly
states that all believers, not matter where they are on the spiritual growth
continuum, have been forgive of all their sins (1:7; Matt. 26:28; Luke 1:77;
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 26:18; Col. 1:14; 2:13-14).
In fact, this truth is foundational to the evangelistic mission of the
church. Jesus told His apostles ‘that
repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the
nations’ (Luke 24:47). Peter declared to
Cornelius and his companions, ‘Of Him [Christ] all the prophets bear witness
that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins’
(Acts. 10:43; cf. 13:38-39). Paul attested:
‘In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our
trespasses, according to the riches of His grace’ (Eph. 1:7; cf. 4:32; 1 John
1:7; 3:5). Of course, this great reality
of the forgiveness of sins was not new in the New Testament, but was firmly
rooted in Old Testament teaching (cf. Pss. 32:1-2; 86:5; 103:3-4; Isa. 1:18-19;
43:25: 44:22).”
John concluded this sentence with
the reminder that God grants forgiveness to believers, not because of their own
worthiness or merit, but the reason is for His name’s sake. That expression refers to God’s glory and let
me give you another list of verses to look at beginning with Deut. 28:58; Neh.
9:5; Ps. 8:1; Isa. 42:8; and 48:11), which is the overreaching reason for everything
that He does. God forgives sinners
because it pleases Him to glorify His name by manifesting His superabundant
grace, mercy and also His power. As
those who have been given the gift of forgiveness, and there is nothing better
to receive, believers will forever praise and magnify God, (more verses to look
at) (cf. 2 Cor. 4:15; Rev 5:11-13).
Still, while on earth, they are at different stages of growth, with
distinguishing characteristics.
That will finish our look at 1 John
2:12.
10/20/2024 9:28
PM
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